Afghanistan Peace CampaignIshaq Dar also said that the operations of the Pakistani army in Khost and Paktika were based on intelligence information
The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, said that Islamabad is ready to fight against terrorism alongside Kabul.
Speaking to the media in London, Ishaq Dar also said that the operations of the Pakistani army in Khost and Paktika were based on intelligence information, and the people, government, and soldiers of Afghanistan were not targeted.
“I also told the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate that our information indicates that the Gul Bahar group and its leadership are in Afghanistan. You must act and hand them over to us. When no action was taken, we were forced to conduct our operations. These operations were not against the Afghans, the Afghan government, or the army of this country; they were operations focused on intelligence information,” he said.
Before this, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla had claimed in a meeting of the Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants exist in Afghan territory.
Kurilla, referring to the presence of TTP fighters in Afghanistan, said that the Taliban have provided sanctuary for other terrorist groups active in the region.
“I would tell you that we do see the Taliban as harboring al Qaeda, they’re also harboring Tehreek -e- Taliban Pakistan and other violent extremist organizations, the only one that they are actively fighting is Daesh,” he said.
Although the Islamic Emirate has not responded to the statements of the Pakistani foreign minister, Zabihullah Mujahid denied the claims regarding the presence of TTP fighters and the existence of safe havens for other terrorist groups, including Daesh, in Afghanistan.
“I strongly reject this. They take vindictive actions. The information they provide about Afghanistan is far from reality; Afghanistan is safe,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.
“If the Pakistanis are discussing terrorist attacks, they should dismantle the camps established in their country, and if the Americans want to fight, they should inform their friend and ally country about this matter,” said Zalmay Afghanyar, a political analyst.
This comes as Pakistani fighters bombarded parts of Paktika and Khost provinces on Monday (March 18), resulting in the deaths of eight people, including children and women.